


Untimely

by smlash



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, M/M, Not A Happy Ending, The name of your soulmate appears on your arm when your soulmate dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 00:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20200876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smlash/pseuds/smlash
Summary: They should've realized their feelings sooner.





	Untimely

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6: Soulmates

Tommy and Oliver were friends since they were children. They instantly connected when they first met, and had an unbreakable bond that lasted until their adult years. Oliver helped Tommy deal with the loss of his mother and the negligence of his father. The two of them trust each other more than they trusted anyone else. Tommy was the first person to learn of Oliver's crush on Laurel and encouraged him to ask her out.  
  
"It's her loss, if she says no."  
  
"But I would still be pained by her rejection," Oliver says. He dramatically clutches his chest. "I don't know how I would live with the heartache."  
  
Tommy laughs and pats his friend on the back. "If things don't work out, I'll always be here to provide you with emotional support."  
  
Oliver nods. He calls Laurel to ask her to meet him later that day. When he asks her out, she accepts.  
  
Tommy congratulates Oliver, and jokes that he can't wait until their wedding. He constantly told Oliver that he approved his relationship. That is until Tommy sees the two being happy together, he feels a slight tinge of jealousy. He pretends that he's fine with it, but really, he's not.  


* * *

Oliver has been in a committed relationship with Laurel throughout all of high school, and the two continue to be a pair when they began their adulthood. Tommy still hasn't found someone he would consider dating. He never felt a romantic connection with someone strong enough to convince him to commit to them. This should've worried him, but Tommy still had Oliver in his life. That was all that really mattered to him.

He wasn't happy to find out that Oliver would leave Starling for a few weeks. Tommy would've preferred if the two of them spent time together on a vacation. But knowing that Oliver didn't have a choice on who came with him was slightly reassuring, since that means that his friend wasn't making excuses to avoid him.

Then Tommy watched the news and was struck with despair. The Queen Gambit sunk. Oliver won't be coming back. He'll never have the chance to see the other man again. Oliver is dead.

He checks his arm to see if there was a name, but there was nothing. Oliver wasn't his soulmate, but his death felt like the end of the world.

* * *

Tommy found ways to deal with Oliver's death after two years. The pain never truly left him, but he managed to start living his life again. Sometime in that timeframe, he asks Laurel if she has Oliver's name. She doesn't. A part of him is satisfied with this information, but this immediately makes him feel guilty. Laurel's love for Oliver, although genuine, was meant to belong to someone else. Tommy's soulmate was also out there, but he can't find it in himself to search for them. 

No one took him seriously anyways. He was often seen flirting with girls and having occasional one-night stands. He wasn't prepared to start a long-term relationship with anyone soon. He's still coping, and pretending to be happy for someone else's sake wouldn't feel right.

He continues living his life loosely until he catches Thea sneaking out to get high. Tommy tells her off, saying that Oliver wouldn't want this for her.

Tommy starts to change himself for the better. He frequently tries to help Thea deal with her problems. He's unsure if he's making a difference by offering her support, but he likes to believe that he's doing what Oliver would've wanted.

Sometimes, he wonders how Oliver's soulmate is handling his death. He eventually realizes that it's possible that Oliver never met his soulmate when he was alive.

* * *

Three more years go by. Everyone has given up hope for any chances that someone survived from the Queen's Gambit. No one's in denial anymore and they have all accepted that their loved ones are dead.

Of course it's when people finally stopped believing in the theories that someone may have survived that Oliver Queen returned.

Tommy couldn't believe the news when he found out. A joy that he didn't know that he was missing for five years finally returned.

Oliver received a party welcoming him back to Starling City. Seeing Oliver again was surreal and bittersweet.

This time, Tommy swears that he won't take the time he spends with him for granted.

* * *

Oliver asks Laurel if she wants to get back together, but she rejects him. This isn't surprising, considering that he's the reason why Sara is dead.

He later discovers that Tommy and Laurel secretly spent time together when he isn't around. He didn't want to make assumptions, but there's no way that he can deny the evidence that's right in front of him. So of course, the most reasonable thing for him to do is confront Tommy.

"I've noticed that you've been spending a lot of time with Laurel lately," Oliver casually mentions.

"Yeah," Tommy says, not even denying it. "We've become closer since you were declared dead."

"I approve of the two of you."

"What?"

"I know that there's an universal code to not date the same person that your friend did without their permission. So, I'm giving you my blessing so that you won't feel guilty."

Tommy looks down. "Actually, there's someone else I love."

"Who?" Oliver asks. He wonders how he didn't already know about this. He hasn't seen Tommy around anyone else that he could've loved.

"I can't tell you that right now. But I'm sure that you'll find out one day."

* * *

His father and Oliver were both killers. Tommy was afraid that he'll be like his father and disappointed in the man he loved.

He started to keep spend less time with Oliver. He didn't want to be around a person who's willing to take a life.

He spent more time with Laurel, and although she didn't understand what the conflict between him and Oliver was about, she helped him deal with his emotions.

Then his father turned on a device that would destroy Starling. Laurel was in danger, and if he didn't try to save her, then he wouldn't be any better than his father.

Tommy never considered himself a hero. He never wanted to die under a falling building. But at least he isn't a monster.

* * *

He killed Malcolm, but that didn't mean that he fixed thw problem. The Glades were blowing up. So many people were dying, and Oliver couldn't save all of them.

But he could at least save Laurel. When he arrives at the building, Laurel's already outside, and she's screaming Tommy's name. A feeling of dread washes over him. Oliver runs in the building and finds Tommy under a heavy piece of concrete.

"Oliver?"

Oliver begins lifting the concrete in front of Tommy. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here in time."

He lifts the last piece of the ceiling off Tommy, and finds a metal impaired in Tommy's chest. "Did Laurel make it outside?"

"Yes," Oliver smiles. "You saved her."

"Good," Tommy's breathing begins to become a bit uneven. "I… I wanted to tell you this, before it's too late..."

"Don't say that," Oliver's voice wavers. "It's going to be okay."

"I love you."

Oliver looks sadly at Tommy. "I love you too."

"Can you promise me something. Please, stop killing people. It doesn't make you any… better than them."

"I promise."

"Thank you." Tommy closes his eyes.

Oliver begs him to wake up, but Tommy remains unresponsive. His years of hardship and trauma on the island never prepared him for this. He breaks down over Tommy's body.

* * *

It isn't until he takes off his costume later that day that he sees two words printed onto his arm.

_ Tommy Merlyn. _


End file.
